Mechanism for utilizing water-power



(No Model.)

N0. 679', 10. Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

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WVILLIAM HENDERSON WVOODVARD, OF CEDAR GROVE, TENNESSEE.

MECHANISM FOR UTILIZING WATER-POWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,210, dated March 23, 1897.. Application filed December 18, 1895. Serial No. 572,613. (110 model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM HENDERSON W'OODWARD, of Cedar Grove, county of Carroll, State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Mechanism for Utilizing Water-Power, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to' hydraulic motors, and has for its object to provide improved mechanism for utilizing the power of running water, such as streams, rivers, and the like. To this end my invention consists in the features and in the construction, arrangement, or combination of parts hereinafterdescribed and specifically set forth in the claims following the description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1 is aside elevation of my improved motor, showing the same in operative position. Fig. 2 is a top plan view; Fig. 3, an end elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of a modification, and Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the yielding standards in which are journaled the windlasses.

Referring to the drawings, the numerals 1 and 2 indicate two buoyant supports of any suitable form and dimensions and of any preferred material. The said buoyant supports are arranged parallel with one another, as shown, forming a space centrally between them which constitutes a race, and are rigidly secured together by arched metallic straps 4 and approximately V-shaped yokes 5. The arched straps 4L span or bridge the race between the buoyant supports and are securely bolted to said supports and to the ends of the yokes 5. The yokes 5 project beyond the ends of the buoyant supports 1 and 2 and permit the free operation of the paddles, as will more fully hereinafter appear.

The two buoyant supports, (which I shall hereinafter refer to as constitutinga floating platform,) are anchored in the current or stream of running water by chains 3, each 7 attached at one end to one of the yokes 5 and at its other end to a pile driven into the water-bed, thereby permitting the floating platform to rise and fall with the water, but

' preventing it from having any movement with the current.

J ournaled in suitable bearings near each end of the floating platform are two transverse shafts 6 and 7 on which shafts are fixed grooved pulleys 6 and '7, two ofsaid pulleys being fixed on each shaft and said pulleys being arranged in alinement and over the race. Two endless chains or belts 8 are arranged to travel about said pulleys, .and journaled in suitable bearings between the pulleys 6 and 7 are pulleys 9, over which the endless chains or belts 8 travel, and which serve to prevent the sagging of the latter and facilitate their operation. On the adjacent inner edges of the buoyant supports 1 and 2 are securely attached vertical parallel partitions 10 11, which project both above and below the floating platform and are bridged over between the pulleys 7 and 8.

To the endless chains 9, at suitable and uniform distances apart, are attached floats 1.2, said floats approximately corresponding in length to the width of the race and of sufficient size to properly float the endless chains and the paddles and their connections hereinafter described. The floats 12 are each provided at their four corners with antifriction-rollers 12 which travel in contact with the inner sides of the partitions 10 and 11, and both guide the floats in their travel through the race and reduce the friction incident to the rubbing 'action of the floats against the partitions.

To each of the floats 12 is hinged a paddle 13 of substantially the same width as the float and of any suitable or preferred lengtlr- To each of said paddles, near its free end, is attached one end of a chain 14, the other end of which is attached to the next succeeding float, the length of said chains being such that the paddles, when passing through the race, are prevented from being swung past the perpendicular by the force of the current.

Attached to each end of the floating platform are chains 16, which at their lower ends are attached to the opposite ends of two parallel rods 15, said rods being thus suspended in parallelism to the floating platform and directly beneath the line of travel of the paddles. Arranged beneath the rods 15 are cross-pieces 17, which at their ends are attached to the ends of flexible connections 18, the latter at their upper ends being connected to windlasses 19. As shown, there are two of such windlasses, j ournaled in suitable bearings, supported by elastic or resilient standards 1.9, fixed to the buoyant platforms 1 and 2. Said windlasses are respectively arranged on the opposite sides of the race and are provided with spur-gears 20, which are adapted to be drawn into and out of gear with corresponding spur-gears 21, fixed on the ends of one of the pulley-shafts, as 7. To throw the spur-gears 20 into and out of gear with the spur-gears 21, I provide a frame consisting of two rods 22,which are rotatably mounted in the elastic or yielding standards 19, and are each threaded at one end and engage a threaded aperture, formed in its corresponding standard lflflwhereby by turning the said rods in the proper direction the standards, and with them the windlasses 19, journaled therein, are drawn toward each other and the spur gears thus thrown into engagement, when the rotation of the shaft 7 will rotate the windlasses and wind up the flexible connections 18 and thus elevate the rods 15. As the rods 15 are raised they swing the paddles 13 upon their pivotal centers until they are thrown up into a horizontal position out of operation.

If preferred, instead of depending upon the buoyancy of the floats 12 for supporting the paddles and the endless chains in their passage through the race tracks 23 may be secured on the inner sides of the partitions 10 and 11 and the ends of the floats provided with rollers 53%, which travel on said tracks and support the weight of the paddles and their attached parts, as shown in Fig. 4:.

The operation of my improved motor is as follows: lhe motor being anchored in the current in the manner described and the rods 15 having been lowered by the windlasses to permit the paddles 13 to swing perpendicularly in the race, the force of the current will carry the paddles through the race from one end to the other, and as fast as one paddle passes out of the rear end of the race another paddle enters the front or inlet end thereof, the endless chains 8 being thus constantly driven and, through the medium of the pulleys 6 and 7, constantly rotating the shafts 6 and 7 A Motion from said shafts may be communicated to machinery of all descriptions by mechanism (not shown) of any suitable or preferred construction. As the endless chains and their paddles are thus carried through the race and around the pulleys 6 and 7 the paddles as they pass over the pulleys 7 and enter the race drop down to a vertical position, in which position they are held by the chains 14 during their passage through the race. However, they swing inward toward the pulley 6, and as they travel from the pulley 6 to the pulley 7 they are supported horizontally on the endless chains 8. By throwing the spur-gears 20 and 21 into engagement in the manner before described the windlasses 19 are operated by the motor and wind up the flexible connections and thus raise the rods 15, and the paddles are thus gradually folded up until they assume a horizontal position, in which position the current cannot exert suflicient force to sweep the paddles through the race, and the motor comes to a state of rest.

It will be manifest that the course of the water is not diverted in stopping the motor, and also that in bringing it to a stop the effective surfaces of the paddles presented to the current is gradually diminished, whereby the motor is brought to a state of rest gradually, and hence in both starting and stopping the motor shocks and sudden jars to the ma chinery are avoided.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a hydraulic motor, the combination with a floatin g platform having a central race, of pulleys arranged at the opposite ends of said platform endless chains arranged about said pulleys, folding paddles carried by said chains and arranged to travel through said race, a vertically-movable frame suspended beneath the paddles, mechanism actuated by the motor for hoisting said frame to fold up the paddles, and means for throwing said mechanism and motor out of engagement, substantially as described.

2. In a hydraulic motor, the combination with a floating platform having a central race, of pulleys 6 and 7 arranged at the opposite ends of the platform, endless chains 8 passing about said pulleys, folding paddles 13 carried by the endless chains and arranged to travel through said race, a vertically-movable frame 15, suspended beneath the paddles, windlasses 19 carried by the floating platform and connected to said frame by flexible connections 18, gearing driven by one of the said pulleys for operating the windlasses to raise the frame and fold up the paddles and means for throwing said gearing out of operation, substantially as described.

31 In a hydraulic motor, the combination with a floating platform having a central race, of pulleys 6 and 7 arranged at the opposite ends of the platform, endless chains 8 passing about said pulleys, folding paddles 13 carried by the endless chains and arranged to travel through said race, a vertically-movable frame 15 suspended beneath the paddles, yielding standards 19 supported on the floating platform, windlasses 18 journaled in said standards and provided with spur-gears 20, spur-gears 21 fixed on the shaft 7 a of the pulleys 7 and adapted to gear with the spur-gears 20, means for moving the yielding standards toward and away from each other to throw said gears 20 and 21 into and out of engagement, and flexible connections between said platform and windlasses, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

4:. In ahydraulic motor, the combination with afloating platform havinga central race, of pulleys 6 and 7 arranged at opposite ends of the platform, endless chains 8 passing about said pulleys, folding paddles 13 carried by the endless chains and arranged to travel through said race, parallel rods 17 suspended beneath the paddles by chains 16 attached to the floating platform, yielding standards 19 supported on the floating platform, windlasses 18 journaled in said standards and provided with spur-gears 20, spur-gears 21 fixed on the shaft 7 of the pulleys 7 and adapted to gear with the spur-gears 20, threaded rods 22 rotatably mounted in the yielding standards for moving the yielding standards toward and away from each other to throw the gears 20 and 21 into and out of engagement, and flexible connections between the windlasses and the rods 15, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

5. In a hydraulic motor, the combination of two buoyant supports 1 and 2 arranged parallel with each other and at a suitable distance apart, vertical partitions 10 and 11 attached to the inner adjacent edges of said supports and projecting above and below said supports, arched straps 4: extending transversely across said supports and over said partitions, yokes 5 projectingbeyond the ends of thesupports, said yokes and straps at their ends being secured together and to the sup ports, and endless belts carrying paddles arranged to travel between the said partitions, substantially as described.

G. In a hydraulic motor, the combination with a floating platform having a central race, of pulleys arranged at the opposite ends: of the platform, endless chains passing about said pulleys, a plurality of floats attached to said chains, paddles hinged to said floats and arranged to travel through the said race, and means for limiting the vibratory movement of the paddles, substantially as described.

7. In a hydraulic motor, the combination with a floating platform having a central race, of pulleys arranged at the opposite ends of the platform, endless chains passing about said pulleys, a plurality of floats attached to said chains and arranged to travel through said race, antifriction-rollers carried by the floats and operating to contact with the walls of the race, paddles hinged to the floats, and means for limiting the vibratory movement of the paddles, substantially as described.

8. In a hydraulic motor, the combination with a floating platform having a central race, of pulleys arranged at the opposite ends of the platform, endless chains passing about said pulleys, a plurality of floats attached to said chains and arranged to travel through said race, paddles hinged tothe floats, and chains each attached at one end to one of said paddles and at its other end attached to the next succeeding float, substantially as described.

In testimony of all which Ihave hereunto subscribed my name.

WILLIAM HENDERSON WOODWARD.

WVitnesses:

W. A. BAKER, F. O. SANDERS. 

